The Australian Open is showing Wii Tennis versions of live matches – and players are delighted - A new innovation at the first tennis grand slam of the year has captured the imagination

Players are represented by characters that look like something out of a Wii game — not exactly perfect portrayals of Coco Gauff or Novak Djokovic, perhaps, but they try to show the correct outfits.

If you’re tuning into the 2025 Australian Open, you may notice something very, very weird about the players on the court if you’re watching matches on YouTube. They look like they’re straight out of a video game, like Wii Tennis. The players’ bodies and faces have been replaced with Miis, basically. What gives?

The Australian Open might look a little different this year if you’re livestreaming it on YouTube. That’s because the tournament has put an animated overlay on some of its matches to avoid broadcast licensing conflicts, making players look an awful lot like Wii Sports characters, as reported earlier by The Guardian.

The Australian Open's animated tennis livestreams are making a splash. U.S. leagues have used similar technology to put Simpsons on the football field and superheroes on ice skates.

The 113th Australian Open is underway, kicking off the first Grand Slam of 2025. We'll show you where to watch the Australian Open globally.

For U.S. fans, the Australian Open will once again be complicated by the time difference between the continents, with day sessions starting at 7 p.m. ET the evening prior for American viewers. Are you ready to watch the 2025 Australian Open?